Negative Leaf Prints

Friday September 12, 2014 at 3:32pm
Children love paint, printing and being outside. This activity combines all three to produce artwork any toddler would be proud of!   

First of all, we had a stroll around the garden looking for fallen leaves. At this time of year, the colours are beautiful and Jacob very enthusiastically searched to get a variety of colours and shapes in his basket.  

Once he’d collected enough, I put them to dry on an old newspaper and then pressed them underneath some heavy books for about an hour. This is his collection.     

Now for the negative printing! Ideally, this is best done outside as it can be a bit messy. If it’s wet, as it was when we did this, just make sure you cover the table with newspaper or a waterproof cloth. Place thin card on to the table and get your toddler to position the chosen leaves anywhere on top. It helps if you have small pieces of blu-tak on the back of each leaf so they stay in place.   

Now get your toddler to spray the leaves from above. You definitely want to use coloured water rather than watery paint otherwise it won’t work. You will end up with large drops everywhere rather than the fine spray you want. Having experimented with different mixes, adding food colouring to water worked best. The spray bottle we used had a push–down action that can be a bit difficult for a toddler to master without help; a lever one may be more toddler-friendly.     

Next comes the fun bit – removing the leaves from the paper to see the negative prints that are left. If your toddlers are anxious to see the results before everything has dried, encourage them to lift the leaves directly upwards so a clear image is left.  

  

Result!      

Love Chamomile Baby x x

Gorgeous Embroidered Babywear

» Categories: General, Activities, Craft ideas

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